What a change!

Ryan just finished his swimming lessons for the summer. What a difference a year makes! Last year we had to stop lessons after only 3 times because he cried the ENTIRE time. It was soooo embarrassing! But not this year! He made so much progress and continues to do so each time we go swimming. Ryan will now go conpletely under water, jump off the side of the pool, float on his back, and open his eyes under water. It may not seem like much, but compared to last year, it is great. He is very disappointed that the lessons are over. Thank you Cindy and the girls. You are our heros!!

Confessions

Since my other friends have "confessed" to their addictions, I thought it was time for ours. We too are addicted to Diet Coke and other beverages. It is so bad that we even have an entire refridgerator in the garage reserved for drinks of all kind. Diet Coke and bottled water was on sale Memorial Day weekend and Jim went crazy. We are set for couple of weeks (maybe less :) Now if we could just get Coca Cola Light imported from Mexico. It is even better than DC. It's so good that I'm sure there are illegal substances in it.

It was THIS big.......

On Father's Day, we went with Jim's mom and stepdad on their annual family fishing trip. The kids, Jim and I had such a great time. The fishing wasn't very good, but Ryan was the only one to catch a fish in the 1 1/2 hours on the boat and that was with his little Scooby Doo fishing pole. We got it all the up to the boat and it look like a big one, but the line broke at the last minute and we lost the fish. The look on Ryan's face was so sad. But all in all, it was a success.

Happy Father's Day!

I feel bad that I didn't get this up yesterday, but we had a family fishing trip with Jim's family. It was a really nice day to relax and hang out as a family. Jim, you are an amazing father and husband. You have made so many sacrifices so that our family can have the nice life that we have. You never complained about doing things with the family after you had just worked a 24 hour shift. It is so conforting to know that there is no place you would rather be than home with me and the kids. Thanks for all that you do for us. We would be lost without you!!!

What a mess!

So last night Jim and I were out to dinner by ourselves for the first time in a long time. Jim's group was interviewing a new PA and taking him and his wife out to dinner. The wives got to come along for the fun, too. We had just fininshed our steaks when my cell phone rang. Never a good sign when you're out on a date. Jim's mom (who is visiting from Texas) called to say that there was water leaking through a window in the playroom in the basement. It had been raining here off and on for the last day and a half. The window well wasn't draining properly and water was 3-4 feet high in the well. So needless to say, we had to leave dinner. What a bummer when the drinks are free and so is the babysitting. When we walked in the door, Jim's mom and stepdad were standing by the back door soaking wet, pretty much looking like drowned rats. The poor things! Jerry had been IN the window well bailing out water with a bucket. It was pretty much a losing battle. So I left (9pm) and went to Menard's and bought a sump pump and more downspout to that the water away from the house. It was a muddy mess! Poor Jim had to spend a couple hours out there today repairing the mess, laying more top soil and rock. We are supposed to get more rain tonight, so we will see if it holds. We are having friends over tonight to play cards, so I guess we will have extra help if we need it. :)

It's here!!

I finally received my new laptop on Thursday. I was bummed because I didn't think I was going to get to use it that night since Jim had a softball game and I was afraid I would mess it up if I did anything to it. His softball game ended up getting rained out, so he was home to help me. It is sooo nice. Thanks Jim!

Help!

I can not get blogger to publish any pictures. Is anyone else having problems getting pictures on, or is it just my crappy computer?

The new pool

The country club that we belong to in to just redid its pool. The renovations have been needed for many, many years. The old pool had a ugly fence around it, the cement was cracking and breaking up, and the restrooms did not work anymore. Needless to say, it was a HUGE distraction to new/potential members. It was completed this last weekend and it is suc an improvement. The kids had a great time in the new pools today.

Tan lines

This may be a little weird, but I just had to show how tan my four year old is. He has a better tan than me. I know I shouldn't want to be tan any more, but I can't help it. Fat always looks beeter with a little tan. On another note, hopefully this will be the last day I have to use this crappy laptop. This one is so old and so bad. It makes doing anything on it so time consuming. Jim surprised me and ordered me a new Dell last week. They were having such a great deal (under $500 loaded) , it was hard to pass up. I am so excited!

Crazy Day!!

Today is one of those crazy mom days. We have been going nonstop since we woke up. We left the house this am at 8:45 to run a bunch of errands before I dropped Ryan off at a YMCA camp at 9:30. Then Alex and I ran to the gym for a quick hour workout. After that, we went to WalMart (my most hated place) for a few groceries. Then it was back to the park to pick Ryan up at 12:00. We came home and fed the kids quickly so I could get them down for a nap by 12:30 because we had swim lessons at 3:00. Both kids took naps today so I did have a little time to myself which was so nice. I paid some bills (not so nice) and even walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I am still trying to recover from all that bad (read: good) food that I ate in Texas. After swimming lessons we came home to relax for a bit and have supper. Then tonight at 6:30 my friend Tammy and I are taking the kids (5 of them, all under 8) to the movie Cars. Our husbands are in a skeet shooting league together, so we decided it would be nice to do something together as well. Too bad we can't stick the kids with them. I am not sure how Alex will do at the movie, but we will see. Going to the movies means my kids will get to bed a lot later than usual, but what are summers for. I also need to finish 3 loads of laundry and move a bunch of furniture because we are having the carpets cleaned tomorrow morning. Whew!! I will let you know tomorrow how it all goes. Wish me luck! :)

Summer Fun!

Do you remember how much fun summers were when you were a kid? Of course we didn't realize all the time our parents spent driving us from one activity to another or the money they spent to keep us occupied. Our neighbors recently laid down a bunch of money to keep everyone entertained. They bought the new Bonzi Falls water slide. The thing is pretty cool and the kids have a blast on it. I'm not sure our little Slip and Slide will compare with that. Ryan started his swimming lessons yesterday. He was very nervous because he hated putting his head in the water. He doesn't get the concept of closing your mouth when you go under. The lesson yesterday went so well he put almost his whole head in and is looking forward to going again today. We may have a swimmer by the end of summer!

More from Texas

Our Trip to Horseshoe Bay, Texas

During our trip to Texas, the kids and I spent several days with Jim's mom and stepdad in Horseshoe Bay. It is a wonderful resort community 1 1/2 hours from SA and 45 minutes from Austin. We had a great time swimming at Lake LBJ, picking strawberries, riding grandma's scotter, and playing minature golf. We can't wait to see Papa and Grandma when they visit us in Nebraska in a couple of weeks.

Our trip to San Antonio

The kids and I had such a wonderful time in SA. We got to see so many of our friends. I really made me realize how much I miss everyone. Thank you Tracy for letting us crash at you place. I know it wasn't easy having 3 extra bodies in the house. Also, thanks to Jenny, Angie, and Michelle for taking time out of your crazy schedules to hang with us at Chuy's and the barbeque. This definately will be a yearly trip.